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When trying to determine the authenticity of a Navajo rug, one of the first things you should check is the warp. Warp strings run vertically and make up the foundation of the rug. Navajo rugs are made on a continuous loom that contains the actual warp threads. You can check this visually and by running your hand along the side of the rug to feel whether the warp threads run the length of the rug or whether they’ve been cut. However, in Mexican-made copies, the cut warp threads are hidden, making it more difficult to detect.

Not far from Crystal was the Two Grey Hills trading post, known for weavings in which no dyes were used. Instead, weavers carefully combed and spun different natural colors of yarn to yield a beautiful range of creamy whites, tans, browns, and greys. (To get a solid black color, weavers sometimes would overdye dark brown wool with black dye.) The weavers around Two Grey Hills developed very complex geometric patterns, usually based on a large, hooked central diamond with multiple geometric borders. They also were known for very finely spun wool of small diameter which they used to make very thin, dense, and tightly woven rugs that are certainly the greatest technical achievements in the history of Navajo rug making.

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First, authentic Navajo rugs feature a unique vertical loom. It uses a continuous loom. This means that the base wool yarn used is not cut at either end. Instead, the warp thread loops from the bottom to top, then loops down to bottom, then loops up to top. The Navajo rug's base is the warp yarn. While the weft yarn makes the design patterns, it is the warp yarn. Mexican looms are horizontally designed and use multiple pieces warp threads with fringed ends. If fringed ends appear, this is most likely a Mexican-made rug. The rug has multiple warp threads and is more durable than a Navajo rug which uses one, continuous warp. This rule may not be true all the time. Some early Navajo "Germantown-style" weavings may have had fringe.

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Weavings that incorporate images of objects and people in their designs have slowly gained in popularity since the early days of rug-making. Such Pictorial Rugs may include small representational images within a larger geometric design, or may consist primarily-even solely-of a picture. Small pictorial motifs such as feathers, arrows, animals and other common objects may have held some personal significance for the individual weaver. As the modern trappings of Anglo culture filtered onto the Reservation, strange new objects such as cattle, trains, American flags, and letters of the alphabet caught the fancy of some weavers.

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Navajo rugs have a side seam cord. To keep their straight edges, Navajo weaver often uses a twisted selvage line. A fringe does not provide a reliable indicator of whether a sideselvage is present. However, a presence of a selvage is a good indication that the cord is Navajo. Mexican weavers keep straight sides by using three to four warps or more, or even a single thick warp, or rope. If you notice a rug with thicker outside warps, check the ends for fringe or evidence that the warp ends are sewn back in.

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This article covers all that you need to know about Navajo rugs and their origins, weaving patterns, and processes. Doing research on Native American history will lead you to the Navajo, an ancient American tribe. They began weaving rugs and became the Navajo rugs. Rugs were associated with their cultures and traditions as well as their beliefs. The Navajos were initially limited to a small number of pieces when they began weaving. However, over time, the distinctive designs of the Navajo rugs spread all across the country. They weaved them in their vertical handloom using hand-knotted features. They are more well-known in the southwest for their distinctive weaving techniques.

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These are pictorial rugs that show ceremonial sandpaintings.They are square and can contain supernatural figures with magical trappings. They can also include common elements such as snakes, feathers, lizards, and whirling logs. Because these rugs are sacred, only a few Navajo weavers arewilling or able to produce them. To protect these individuals from spiritualharm, special ceremonial sings must be conducted. These rugs are very rare and thus very valuable and are producedin the Two Grey Hillsand Shiprock areas.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, please let us know within 3 days from when you placed your order.
As soon as your order ships, you will receive an email with tracking info and then following emails with shipping updates.
We accept all major credit or debit cards. You can also pay with your PayPal account.
Just send us an email with your order number and we’ll send you instructions.  We will give you a full refund within the first 60 days after your order ships out.  After that, we have to charge a 25% restocking fee. You are responsible for return shipping fees unless you are swapping for a different design or size.
Yes! We can ship anywhere in the world. Please send us an email with your address before placing an order outside of the US and Canada though. We need to partially charge you for shipping when you place your order.
All of our rugs are made to order and go through a rigorous inspection process. You can typically expect your rug to be shipped 2 weeks from when you make your purchase.
We find rug pads are not necessary to protect your flooring. However, some people choose to use rug pads to prevent their rug from sliding around.